We're Rooting For The Deer.

Ahhh ... The First Monday After Thanksgiving.The turkey is digested. The first round of gifts have been bought. And nothing quite kicks off the holiday season like venturing into the frigid woods, sitting in a tree for six hours, and, if you're lucky, blasting a deer to smithereens.Today's the first day of deer season in Pennsylvania, which means tomorrow's newspapers will be filled with tales of eight-year-olds
bagging their first bucks and with stories of generations of families who have hunted together.Really, they're touching.But personally, we're waiting for Wednesday's newspapers, which will carry the stories about the guys who accidentally shot themselves in the foot while cleaning their rifles. For us, it's proof-positive that there is such a thing as evolution.The rest of today's news starts after the jump.

Obligatory Chester County Update (TM):Elections officials in Chester County will start counting 270 absentee ballots today, hopefully leading to a final determination of control of the state House.To recap, Republicans hold a whippet-thin 102-101 advantage, but that margin depends on the yet-to-be determined winners in the 156th and 167th House districts.In the 156th, Republican Shannon Royer holds a 19-vote lead over Democrat Barbara McIlvaine Smith in the seat formerly held by Rep. Elinor Z. Taylor.In the 167th, the GOP's Duane Milne leads Democrat Anne Crowley by 136 votes in the district formerly represented by Rep. Bob "Get A Job" Flick.Royer and Milneshowed up for work last week during the Legislature's freshman orientation, but until things get settled, they're both on the political equivalent of Double-Secret Probation."It's like political purgatory," Royer tells the Philadelphia Inquirer today. "We're in a very strange phase of the campaign that just won't end."We know how he feels.

Did Rick Santorum Get Punk'd?It certainly looks that way.The new issue of Rolling Stone (Borat's on the cover) includes an Election 2006 coda from political correspondent Matt Taibbi, who reveals that he spent the final day of the campaign posing as a Santorum volunteer.The reason behind the ruse?Taibbi claims he was barred from Santorum's Election Night wake in Pittsburgh, and thus had to resort to subterfuge. So what did he do?He spent a busy afternoon calling voters and urging them to come out to the polls.We don't necessarily agree on the ethics of the whole thing, but we would have loved to have been there during Taibbi's successful effort to guilt one reluctant voter into the polling place by convincing her that not only can 12-week-old fetuses solve rudimentary math problems, but that Rick Santorum was the only person who could protect them.

Ever Wonder ...... what state Rep. Tom Tigue, D-Luzerne, thinks about the state of the modern political campaign? Download this file from his hometown Times-Leader to find out. After 26 years in the Legislature, Tigue opted not to run for re-election this year. The T-L conducted the exit interview.

Not As Vulnerable As We Thought?Updated election returns posted Monday by Northampton County show wider margins of victory for U.S. Rep. Charlie Dent, R-15th District and state Sen. Pat Browne, R-Lehigh/Northampton.In the 15th CD, early returns showed Democrat Charles Dertinger carrying the county by around 100 votes. With the corrected tallies, Dent ended up beating Dertinger 53.5 percent to 43.4 percent.In the 16th Senate District, updated Northampton County totals
increased Browne's margin of victory over Democratic challenger
Rick Orloski by nearly 2,000 votes, or 2 percent. Browne tallied 38,668
votes, or 54 percent, to Orloski's 32,730 votes, or 46 percent.Now That's Gotta Smart.Apparently, it wasn't bad enough that Republican Diana Irey got stomped by U.S. Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., this Election Day. Adding insult to severe injury, Ireydidn't even carry her home precinct, according to this morning's Washington Observer-Reporter.

Finally ...... our congratulations to U.S. Rep-Elect Patrick Murphy, D-8th District and wife Jennifer, who welcomed daughter Margaret Grace Murphy into the world
on Friday at 5:03 p.m. The newest Murphy weighed in at 7 lbs., 6 oz., and was 20 inches long.Mazel tov!

The 12 Days Of YouTube(TM):In which we help you kill some time at the office with an entertaining clip from the most engrossing site on the Web.Anyone remember The Herculoids?

Monday's Gratuitous Hockey Link:After a dominating performance against Boston on Friday, Capitol Ideas' beloved Carolina Hurricanes face off tomorrow night against the visiting Ottawa Senators. The 'Canes (6-3-1 in their last 10 games, 29 points) are in second place in the NHL's Southeast Division, three points behind the division-leading Atlanta Thrashers.The Senators, meanwhile, are in fourth in the Northeast Division, with 23 points. They're 6-4-0 in their last 10 starts. So it should be an even match.